


Falling To, Write for You

by SunbunSky



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Attempt at Humor, Awkwardness, Developing Relationship, Multi, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 00:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11242956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunbunSky/pseuds/SunbunSky
Summary: Upon starting his new role as a volunteer to the local library, Aichi makes three goals for himself.By the end of his first week, he makes two additions to the list.





	Falling To, Write for You

**Author's Note:**

> Tries to write with a comprehensible tone and natural dialogue, fails when it goes back to shitty bs fjfsldkjf
> 
> Aichi is way too thirsty in this hhhhhhhhh sorry
> 
> Also there's technically some Kourin/Misaki/Miwa which is why multi is tagged but it's only for a bit at the end-ish and it's not very explicit so yeah

Upon starting his new role as a volunteer to the local library, Aichi makes three goals for himself:

  1. Get tall enough to reach the top row of bookshelves without using a step-stool
  2. Find out where the cat keeps hoarding all the pens that go missing from the front desk
  3. Greet the visitors with a friendly smile, no stutters or fumbling allowed



The first two are mostly his own personal whims. He can’t force himself to grow, so that dream remains a pleasant fantasy, but he did manage to dig up one of sub-manager’s secret troves. Somehow, unbeknownst to both the human manager and the few people who regularly stop by, the cat managed to squeeze thirteen and a half pens underneath a bean bag chair in the young adult section without being caught for six months.

According to Misaki, twenty-seven are still missing. He has yet to find his blue and pink puppy pen that he lost on the first day, so he’s still on the lookout for sub-manager’s other hidden storages.

The third rule is so he can actually keep his position.

He knows he’s inexperienced – during his second shift, he mistakenly put a “questionable” audio book in the middle of the children’s fantasy section – but due to the lack of other (i.e. more capable) competitors, he managed to land the position relatively easily. Unfortunately for both him and the library workers, other people end up having to deal with the consequences.

That, or they just end up laughing at him.

(“How did you even do that? The cover looks like an old 90s romance novel, it’s almost impossible to miss.”

“I don’t – I don’t know? The numbers looked – or maybe the author – it just seemed right?”

“…seemed right how?”

“Well, it looks like my number one pupil will have to learn a few more tricks from **me**! The greatest sorter in the world!”

“Didn’t you get denied immediately after handing in your form…”

“Shut up! You don’t even know what ‘idiom’ means!”

“I know what words mean!”

“Then what does it mean? Huh!?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like! I don’t have to explain it to a loser like you!”

“I’m not a loser!”

“Be quiet! This is a library!”

“Yes, captain.”

“Why are we getting yelled at…?”)

So, to try and make up for those…unfortunate situations, he needs to make people feel good instead! Happy faces, smiles go for miles, all that jazz. Simple enough, right?

“Excuse me.”

He turns around and – there goes his sense of control.

Because standing in front of him is a _god_ , tall and menacing and handsome, tie loosely hanging from the collar, shirt unbuttoned at the top so he can just see their collarbones peeking out beneath the fabric, hair swept to one side as if the wind itself shaped it seamlessly and precisely despite also looking effortless.

Toward the ground – black shoes and neatly pressed dress pants, seemingly not at all worn by dirt or wrinkles. Their face is even more stunning, cheeks angled and firm, eyes bright and swirling, eyebrows furrowed into a neat crevice.

They look –

They are –

Lips, pink and slightly chapped. Moving.

Speaking?

“– okay? Hello?”

…oh.

Words.

Right.

“Ah – sorry!” he shouts, bowing slightly to hide his face. It feels warm. Is he blushing? That really isn’t what he needs right now, what does he need? Smiles – yes but not too big or it seems too forced, he needs to look friendly and approachable, but not creepy, anything but that, and _oh god they’re still there what does he say he wasn’t listening before what if they asked him something and he doesn’t know_ –

“You do work here, right?”

…he can answer that. Yes.

Smoothly and calmly.

“Um, yes, I do!” He shoots up. “Actually – I haven’t been working very long, so I might – I might not know exactly what you’re looking for? But I’ll definitely try to help! And, and I know who to ask – if I, so, um, yeah!”

They stare at him.

He stares back.

_…that didn’t go as planned._

He laughs uncomfortably and tries to avoid their gaze instead. “Well, um, that is – I’m a volunteer here, so I can try to help? Maybe?”

The ground looks so nice. What a great piece of carpet to look at and lie on forever to forget about his existence and piss poor social skills. Maybe if he’s lucky, it will even delete everyone’s memories of him so he won’t be remembered at all! What a great solution. Perfect, no flaws detected, one hundred percent guaranteed to work.

If only the world were merciful.

The other tilts their head slightly – _how much more can his heart take_ – and hums. “Do you know where the science-fiction section is?”

“Oh! Yes, I do,” he says, thanking everything in the known universe that he didn’t have to embarrass himself again for the tenth time in the span of two minutes. “It’s in section C, next to the fantasy books. There’s markers that show which each section is, so just look for that, and yeah! You should find it!”

They nod. “Okay. Thanks,” they pause, eyes flickering downward, “Aichi.”

…they said.

Name.

His name.

His name in their mouth.

Their mouth.

He shoves his head into his hands, screaming silently into his palms as his face melts from the heat.

“I can handle this,” he mumbles to himself. “Who cares if they look like a walking marble statue. Nope. Not me. Completely calm and responsible.”

His fingers dig into his forehead.

 _Don’t think about them, don’t think about their voice, don’t think about how they said your name, don’t think about wanting to talk to them and see them and touch them and sit on their face_ –

“Aichi!”

Misaki appears in front of him, and he jumps.

“Ah, sorry! Um, did you need me for something?”

She frowns. “Your shift is over.”

“Oh, it is?” he says distractedly, gazing at their receding back. And maybe a bit lower. “Sorry, I’ll leave soon then.”

“That’s not the problem,” she says before cutting herself off, confused. She follows his eyes, grimacing, and sighs.

“Did they say something to you?”

“Eh? Who?”

“Them.” She nods in the direction of the retreating figure. “You’re staring.”

“Ah, sorry.” He forces his eyes away from them and turns to her, smiling apologetically. “No, they didn’t really say much, just asked where the sci-fi section was.”

“Is that so…” She hums. “Well, as long as they didn’t bother you, it’s fine.”

“Oh, no, they didn’t bother me at all!” He shakes his head. “I was just – surprised, I guess? They’re very, um…”

“Annoying.”

…not really the word he was thinking of, but then again, he doesn’t think saying _that_ word out loud would grant him any favors.

She clicks her tongue. “Anyway, you’re done for the day, so you can go home if you want. Do you remember the code to the storage room?”

“Yeah, I remember,” he says, glancing back one last time at the other person across the room before turning around and waving. “See you tomorrow, Misaki-san!”

A smile. “Stay safe, Aichi.”

He grabs his things, ready to leave and try to get over the embarrassment of the day.

The next afternoon, they return.

He doesn’t talk to them this time, only stares from behind the info desk as they walk in behind one of the other volunteers (the blond hair is familiar, but he can’t recall much else) and head toward the same section. Collar still unbuttoned, gaze still sharp, figure still exuding confidence he lacks.

He swallows down a mouthful of saliva.

The volunteer – Malo? Mike? Miku? – walks behind the counter and plops down onto a chair, beaming. Misaki glares at him (“Yo!” “Don’t ‘yo’ me, do your job.” “I will, I will.”) before tapping away at the computer again.

Aichi turns his attention back to the other figure, now approaching his direction and _how did they get there so quickly he can’t handle this how much does the world want him to suffer_ –

They nod in his direction as they walk past, and he almost falls off his chair.

By the end of his first week, he makes two additions to the list: remember the names of all the people who work with him, and stop staring at the pretty person who comes back every day before they notice and either think he’s a creep or never want to return ever again. Or both.

 

 

 

A guide on how not to develop a raging crush on someone who barely knows you exist.

Step one: stop looking at attractive people that sit cross-legged on a couch while flipping open the pages of a book with their long, precise fingers and taking in the words with their pretty green eyes and nibbling on their plump bottom lip that’s swollen and pink and perfectly –

– failed step one.

Instructions unclear, dick caught in the ceiling fan labeled Kai Toshiki.

Aichi knows their name now, after being told by a giggling Miwa – he remembers his now, too – who caught him staring one afternoon as he was trying to sort the returned books on the shelves. In his defense, he did make zero mistakes that time…even if it did also consist of ten minutes of following them around while pretending to be productive.

If anything, knowing their name makes it even worse for him. He glances at them constantly, sometimes mouthing their name silently to himself, other times scribbling their name on little post-it notes with one of the pens bolted onto the table. Misaki tried making him stop by moving them away from his vicinity, but that just resulted in him drawing all over his arm instead, so she begrudgingly put them back next to him.

He’s gone through half of the stack already.

Granted, not all of them are from his newfound infatuation. Sticky notes prove helpful when he needs to sort out different genres to be put back, or when he needs to remind someone to buy more ink for the printer, or when Misaki tells him to mark off an area where the “loud-mouthed annoyances” can talk without disrupting the other visitors.

Though, there’s more heart-filled notes in the recycling bin than he cares to admit.

Emi gives him weird looks on the days she goes to pick him up (“Aichi, why are you still standing there? It’s time to go home.”), while his mom sends him knowing glances over the dinner table. He doesn’t know how to respond, so he just stays quiet, simmering on his jumbled emotions.

Recently, he’s tried folding origami shapes in order to put his focus on something else, but after realizing that he was still watching them intently while making little paper hearts, he decides to stop.

Kai Toshiki’s existence, in general, is a major distraction for him.

Especially today.

“You’re zoning off again.”

Misaki taps his head with a book as she walks past, and he sighs.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine for now, since no one’s around.” She sits down, flipping to the last page. “Just pay attention to your surroundings.”

He nods. “I will.”

He says.

He says, and yet.

“That’s the fifth time you’ve sighed since you got here.”

“You were keeping count?”

She points to her head. “Kind of hard not to with this.”

“Oh, right,” he says apologetically. “I forget about your memory sometimes.”

“If only I could.” She pauses, before turning to face him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He fumbles with the pen. The chain makes a rattling noise against the wooden desk. “I mean, there isn’t really much to talk about.”

It’s a partial truth.

He doesn’t have anything _useful_ to say.

But a tornado of words swirl around in his head, and while he’s sure he could ramble on about his current dilemma for at least an hour, he doesn’t think anyone, least of all Misaki, would particularly appreciate it.

“Is this about Kai again?”

He flinches.

“Huh,” she says, noticing his tense shoulders before he has the chance to pass it off as anything but an affirmation. “Where are they?”

Swallowing, he raises his head, and she follows his gaze.

Kai Toshiki.

Sat on one of the many couches.

Reading, as usual, a science-fiction novel.

With a small cat napping in his lap.

And _glasses_.

An hour ago, if someone were to ask him if he had any kinks, he would probably struggle to think of something to say before shaking his head and laughing it off.

Now, he’s not so sure.

All because of a pair of square, black-rimmed glasses framing a certain someone’s face.

He hates his life.

“Miwa mentioned they lost their contacts,” she mumbles to herself. “But I thought they dropped that pair ages ago.”

“They wear contacts?” he asks as he continues staring at Kai, now absentmindedly petting sub-manager whose tail flicks back and forth. The cat meows, pawing softly at their stomach to ask for affection.

They look down, moving their book away to glance at the small feline in their lap, and smile.

_This is it, this is how he dies –_

“Usually, yes.” She gives him a side-glance. He barely notices over the fact that Kai is now petting the cat while shining like the human equivalent of a beacon, and are those heart palpitations he feels? “Apparently they used to wear glasses more often, but they kept misplacing them so they switched to using those instead.”

Sub-manager purrs, and they place the book on the armrest to scratch the scruff of his neck.

Long fingers. Long, firm, smooth, gentle fingers –

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Aichi’s subconscious checks off a tiny box labeled “hand fetish.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” he says, trying to at least give a partial effort at maintaining the conversation while the fantasy he never knew he had plays right in front of him. Unaware of the audience, Kai continues their ministrations, stroking behind the ears and beneath the chin.

Sub-manager flicks his tail. When they take a moment to remove their hands, the cat rolls onto his back and presents his stomach, purring softly.

Kai pauses, watching the feline in their lap, before slowly moving their hand to his front paw and then gently placing it on his stomach.

The purring increases in volume.

They let out a small laugh.

_Adorable._

“Is it really?”

Aichi startles, and then flushes red.

“Ah – did I say that out loud?”

Misaki chuckles. “Kind of, yeah. Though you didn’t yell or anything, so no one else heard it.”

He groans, shoving his face into his hands. _That’s it, his brain is fired, goodbye source of embarrassment and daily struggle –_

“I’m just surprised you’re so interested in them.” She turns back to face them, head resting against her knuckles. “Kai isn’t really approachable, so people usually either get scared of them or start a fight. At some point, most just end up avoiding them.”

With careful motions, they remove their hand from the cat’s stomach. Sub-manager blinks slowly, yawning and licking his paws.

“But you’re almost doing the opposite, even though you never actually go up to them. It’s like you’ve imprinted on them or something.” She frowns. “And it doesn’t make sense. Why are you so attached to them in the first place?”

After a final stretch, Sub-manager rolls back onto his stomach, laying down on their lap. Kai picks up the book they placed down and opens it back to the page where they initially stopped, stroking the cat once more.

Peaceful.

“I don’t really know why either,” he says, because _no_ , he _doesn’t_ know why he’s so drawn toward Kai, someone he just met a few days ago through one of the worst and most awkward social interactions of his life. But he _is_ , he’s drowning, swallowed up by the sea of his mind, and now he has to deal with his traitorous body that constantly watches and follows them around despite him knowing that he has almost no chance of positive interaction.

_What a mess._

He keeps staring.

 

 

 

His mom catches him nearly crack his head open falling down the stairs.

He doesn’t really know _how_ it happened; one moment he was saying goodnight to Emi and heading down for a glass of water, and the next moment he was almost eating the floor.

It might have had something to do with the fact that he was thinking about how nice it would be to have Kai spend a night at his house. Or maybe even have Aichi spend a night at their house. And he could cook with them and eat dinner together and watch a movie and maybe even cuddle on the couch under a soft, warm blanket or sleep with them in a _bed_ –

Just passing thoughts. Not important at all, nothing that could have caused his recent clumsiness.

Definitely, one hundred percent, unrelated.

…if only.

“Aichi!” His mom rushes over to him as he rebalances himself, hand leaning against the wall. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

He rights himself, wincing slightly. “Ah, I’m fine. I think I just slipped a little coming down.”

“As long as you’re not injured, that’s good,” she says, frowning. “But make sure to be more careful next time, okay? That kind of fall can be very dangerous.”

He nods. “I will.”

Sighing in relief, his mom walks back toward the kitchen, and he follows her lead. “What did you come down for in the first place?”

“Oh, I only wanted to get something to drink.”

“Tea?”

“No, water is fine.”

She hums in acknowledgement. “I think I put your mug in the dish rack. If it’s not there, it should be in the cabinet.”

He heads over to the sink, finding his usual white cup and filling it up halfway with water before sitting down and taking a sip. The drink eases his parched throat, and he sighs, content.

From the other room, the TV softly drones on about the latest weather forecast for the next day. Partly cloudy skies in the morning, with chances of drizzles clearing up into a sunny afternoon. He looks down at the water swirling around in his puppy mug.

Puppies. Dogs.

Dogs, like pets.

Pets, like cats.

Cats, like Sub-manager sitting in their lap –

He nearly slams his head into the dining table.

Everything in the world – even completely mundane objects like a _freaking cup_ – keeps reminding him of Kai, which is both a) distracting and b) an endless source of disappointment knowing that he will probably never be close enough with them to do the things he keeps imagining. Even the most basic things like greeting them as they walk past make his heart race as fast as a rocket, so anything more is practically a lost cause on him.

It’s frustrating, and he knows it’s pathetic how he keeps acting, but he doesn’t know how to _stop_. His mind stops his body from doing anything potentially embarrassing, but it can’t stop itself from _thinking so much_ about useless scenarios and possibilities that result in nothing tangible. They eat at his concentration, caging his emotions in a whirlwind of confusion. He can barely function anymore.

Maybe if he had the confidence, he could go up to them and flat-out confess what he’s feeling, but even that would be a giant mess because he can barely describe his own state of mind to himself. The best attempt would probably consist of ten minutes of various shrugs and vague hand gestures, and really, how is that useful in any way?

All he knows is that he can’t help but look at them, want to be with them, listen to them, touch them, _exist_ in some way that intertwines their life with his. But he is Aichi. He is himself, and he doesn’t know how to do that –

A mug clinks down across the table.

“It’s getting warmer outside, isn’t it?”

Taking a seat, his mom looks down at her own drink, cupping the glass with her hands and smiling wistfully. Steam wafts up from the murky liquid. He stares at it, watching it dissipate into the air.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Well, that’s nice. It was a little too chilly before, wasn’t it?”

“A little, yeah.”

She doesn’t respond further. In the background, a commercial for a new seafood restaurant plays a jovial tune, singing about family fun and dancing lobsters.

“Your father called recently,” she starts again, swirling her glass. “He’s still busy with work right now, but he said that he can come visit in a few weeks once all his conferences are over.”

That’s, unexpected. “Oh,” he says after a pause, “did he say when exactly?”

“No, not really.” She shakes her head. “That’s just like him though, isn’t it? Never following a schedule, always looking for surprises.”

Her face softens, and he stares.

It’s as if an invisible hand pulls some kind of switch, and her face shines aglow in a soft warmth. Time stills, captured by her presence and preserved in a capsule, and he basks in the sheer gentleness of her company. It’s quiet, so small he almost loses sight of it. But it’s constant, ebbing and flowing within the space around him, just enough to touch.

 _Affection_.

He longs for it, he realizes.

Something akin to that feeling, a mix of tenderness and familiarity. It already exists in other spaces, different kinds and to varying degrees, tying him together to the rest of his world. But he is greedy, he wants more, to extend outward and reach someone else, a specific person too far away for him to grasp, yearning and flailing about helplessly.

He desires, even as he suffocates in it.

“Aichi,” his mother speaks, and he listens. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Pausing, he looks at her. Quiet and tranquil. “No, go ahead.”

She blinks.

“Are you happy?”

A simple question. In context, it could be about the fact that his father is returning soon, or the fact that he is rarely around. But it feels broader, all-encompassing, yet specific and oh so precise.

 _I don’t know_ , he ponders.

“I think so,” he answers.

She stares at him, peeling away bit by bit. He looks away.

_It’s too uncomfortable._

“I just –” Words rattle around in his skull, pushing and shoving away all rational thought. “I don’t…I don’t know what to do.”

His mug still holds the remains of his drink. The puppy looks at him, empty and unseeing. Uncomprehending, promising nothing.

“It’s fine to be uncertain,” she replies, gazing into her cup. “No matter how much we may wish for it, none of us will ever know the consequences of our actions until they play out in reality. And even if we do what we think is right, it won’t guarantee that the ending will be the one we wanted.”

Her drink is cooler now; there’s less steam than before.

“But still, we are human, so we will inevitably try to do what we think is best.” She taps her finger against the glass. “In a situation where we are certain that one way is correct, another path may have been a better choice. Or maybe, when we’re stuck at the end of the road, choosing to do something we see as dangerous and wrong could ultimately prove to be successful in the long run.”

He looks up to face her, and she smiles, small and mysterious.

“In the end, everything will go on. If you are fine with the way it is now, then you don’t need to do anything. But if you want something to change, then it may be helpful to start something new, even if it doesn’t feel like the right decision now.”

Her words are so open, muted and understanding, full of something he can’t quite place.

He swallows, and nods.

“Okay…I will.”

A promise. To what he doesn’t know yet, but something in him shifts, ever so slightly.

Stretching upward, she sighs and turns around. “Oh, it’s already this late?”

He looks at the clock. Ten P.M.

“We talked for quite a while, didn’t we?” She takes her empty cup and walks toward the sink. “Are you going to go to bed now?”

He looks into his mug, finishing the last few drops. “Yeah, probably.”

“Well, in that case, I won’t bother you anymore tonight.” She arranges the dishes as he washes his cup, placing it on the drying rack. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

“I won’t,” he replies, heading toward the stairs before pausing one last time. “Goodnight, mom.”

She smiles.

“Sweet dreams, Aichi.”

 

 

 

Two days later, he walks into the library with a determined gaze.

He’s distracted. He knows this, he knows why, and he wants it to stop. His productivity has been absolutely terrible, all because of a specific glasses-wearing, cat-petting person who likes reading science fiction books, but in order to actually _do things_ , he needs to be able to think clearly and focus on his tasks. Which is, not something he’s particularly successful at right now.

Izaki has already noticed his inability to function. Morikawa and Kamui have to an extent, though they also have yet to realize the root cause of it all, something which he is eternally grateful for.

(He doesn’t know how much teasing he can handle about Kai before exploding into a nervous wreck.)

His more perceptive friend confronts him one day after class, while Morikawa has cleaning duty and they stand outside waiting for him to finish. In an isolated corner, at the same dirt patch where they first met, Izaki leans against the wall and hums a small tune to himself. Aichi stands next to him, kicking lightly at the ground.

Imagining.

Daydreaming.

A scenario plays in his head where he musters the courage to directly confront them without hesitation, and he snorts at the sheer implausibility.

“What’re you laughing about?”

He stills. “Just…thinking about things, I guess.”

“Hmm.” Izaki pushes himself off the wall and walks towards him. He keeps his head down, enough to barely see the other’s chin. “Is it about your not-so-secret crush again?”

His face feels warm. It’s pointless to deny it now. “Ah, I suppose.”

The wind pushes his hair into his face.

“You know,” Izaki says, beginning to pace slowly, “you might as well talk them sometime.”

…he can’t picture that. “Why?”

Izaki pauses. “I mean, you already know their friends since you help out there. So you could use that as an easy excuse to get to know them, and then maybe take it farther later.”

“But wouldn’t that be a bit sudden?”

“How so?”

“Because…I’m going up to them and introducing myself for no reason. It’d just get awkward.”

“Well, that’s possible.” He kicks at a rock, grinding it against the building. “But since you have some connection already, it’ll be easier to do than if you were just some random stranger.”

With Aichi’s social skills, he’d be lucky if he could get out a coherent sentence.

“It’s fine,” he laughs, “I’ll just try to avoid meeting them directly, and that’ll prevent any bad incidents from happening.”

 _It’s easier that way_.

“But what if they catch you staring at them one day? Or a lot? Are you just going to look away and pretend it didn’t happen?”

“…yes?”

Izaki sighs. “Okay, think of it this way. If you get to know them, you won’t have to try and act all sneaky, right? If they catch you looking at them, you can just wave or something and they won’t be creeped out. But if you _don’t_ do that, they might think you’re some weird stalker trying to follow them around, and then it’ll be even more awkward than before.”

He tenses. “I’m…”

“Not to pressure you or anything! Like, you do you in the end. But maybe think about it? Since you seem to really like them, and you have a good chance of actually becoming friends.”

The image is tempting.

“Would that work out though?”

“It’s definitely possible.” Smiling, Izaki gives him a thumbs-up. “Just ask Miwa sometime, and I’m sure he’d introduce you! Kind of like how Morikawa and I met him and Misaki through you, y’know?”

It’s…a way.

“Okay,” he says, smiling. “Thanks, Izaki-kun.”

And so, he enters the library.

Hearing his approach, Miwa looks up from dusting the shelves at the entrance and smiles, waving.

“Yo, Aichi!”

“Ah, hello, Miwa-kun.” He takes in a deep breath, trying to think of how to say what he wants to ask, and –

“You came at just the right time!” Miwa rushes to put down the cloth, going on before he even has the chance to say anything else. “Could you get Misaki to come over? She should be in the computer lab right now.”

That’s.

“Oh,” he says, slightly overwhelmed. “Sure, I’ll find her.”

Smiling in thanks, Miwa speed walks across the room into the storage closet. He stares at where the other once stood, somewhat dazed.

_What was that about?_

“He said the computer lab,” Aichi mumbles to himself, turning to go in that direction. “So I guess I’ll look for her there, then.”

Whatever was happening, it seemed urgent.

He’ll leave his problem for later, then.

He walks quickly through the aisles, heading toward the room at the back of the building. There are fewer people around than usual, he notices, though he still avoids the area where Kai usually sits. Better safe than sorry; he really doesn’t know how he would act right now if he ran into them without one of the two beside him.

“P, Q, R,” he whispers underneath his breath, weaving through the shelves. “S, T, U, V –”

He nearly barrels into someone.

“Ah, sorry,” the person jumps, quickly taking a step back before pausing. “Aichi?”

A familiar voice. He looks up to meet blonde hair and a set of green eyes.

“Kourin-san,” he says, surprised.

“Hey.” She smiles, waving. “Nice to see you after so long.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asks. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“Well, I’m actually not staying for very long.” She tilts her head. “You seem to be in a hurry though. Is something wrong?”

Right.

His mission.

“Oh, I’m actually looking for Misaki-san. Miwa-kun wanted me to go get her for some reason.”

Her smile widens.

“In that case,” she says, looking over her shoulder, “you don’t need to rush. Misaki’s fixing up a few things, but she’ll be coming in just a bit –”

“I’m done.”

Misaki appears from behind the bookshelf, panting slightly.

Kourin chuckles. “Speak of the devil.”

“Misaki-san?” he asks, confused. She seems just as wound up as Miwa did. Everyone’s in such a rush, was there some big event happening today, did he forget to do something important –?

“Oh, Aichi.” She looks at him. “Sorry, but can you shelve this, please? I think we’re already late as it is.”

She holds out a book. He stares it.

_…late?_

“Sure,” he replies automatically, uncomprehending. He takes the object from her hands, looking at the bolded _Space Wars_ and pictures of little blue aliens on the front cover. Something Kai would probably like.

“Thanks, and sorry for making you do this.” Turning away, Misaki grabs Kourin’s hand and leads her toward the entrance. “We can leave now.”

Leave.

Leave?

“Wait!” he calls out. “You’re going somewhere?”

Misaki turns around, and Kourin stops herself from walking into her. “Yeah, we made plans to go out tonight, so we need to head out earlier.”

“But,” he stutters, tripping on the words, “what about the library?”

She frowns in apology. “Shin-san had some other volunteers scheduled for today. There aren’t many people left though, and it’s usually not too busy on Fridays, so if they aren’t that great you should hopefully be fine.”

Hopefully.

Yeah.

He knows how to handle things.

And function properly.

“If you need any help, ask Kai!” The two hurry off, and Misaki calls out one last time. “They’ve worked here before, so if you need an extra set of hands they should be at least somewhat useful!”

They disappear behind the shelves, and he stares at the space where they once stood.

…ask Kai.

Ask Kai, she says.

He wants to scream.

_If he could just walk up to Kai and start a conversation, he wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place –_

The book is heavy in his hand, reminding him of the last request he was given. He looks at the cover with spaceships shooting some kinds of futuristic beams at each other, sighing.

It’s not like he has anything else to do.

“Well,” he mutters to himself, “I guess I’ll just put this back for now.”

He walks over to the familiar science fiction section. The lack of people bustling around is off-putting, though he supposes that people usually have other places to go on a Friday evening. Somewhere fun maybe, like an arcade. Or somewhere romantic, where people can enjoy the company of others and bask in pleasant emotions.

Kai is still nowhere to be found.

Good.

He walks into the aisle, underneath the large cardboard sign labeled “Section C,” and looks at the book in his hand.

“Satou…so, S-A-T…” His fingers brush along the spines of the books on the shelves, scanning for its rightful place. “S-A-L…S-A-N…” They continue to the next row, and he crouches. “S-A-P…S-A-S…”

He stops at the end of the bottom row, and looks up.

On the next bay, at the top row where he can’t reach.

 _S-A-T_.

Great.

Sighing, he looks around. There isn’t a stool in sight.

So, he can either 1) search for one that might not even be in this section or 2) try to reach for it anyway by going up on his toes.

He really doesn’t want to put in that much effort.

Not to mention, any time spent wandering around this section is time that could possibly result in an unfortunate collision with the one person he doesn’t want to meet right now.

With a nod, he stands on his toes, reaches up to place the book next to the others…

…and barely makes it to the shelf below the one he wants.

“Great,” he mumbles. “Wonderful. Good going, Aichi, your body’s still as useless as ever.”

Using his free hand, he grabs onto one of the rows, trying to pull himself up and put the book on the highest row. The books on that row get pushed back, uneven and disorganized. He’ll need to rearrange those later.

And.

He still can’t reach the top row.

“Please, he whispers, pulling just a bit harder, “just go up already…”

Biting the inside of his mouth, he tries standing even higher on his toes, using the small bit of wood on the bottom row as a boost. He’s pulling up already. Any more might result in the entire shelf tumbling on top of him, and that would be even more disastrous than anything else that could possibly happen, so the only other thing he could do is possibly use a chair and then dust it off later –

“Do you need some help?”

He almost topples backwards.

_This is **not** what he signed up for –_

“…um,” the bane of his entire existence says as he tries to avoid banging his head into the shelves behind him and making an even bigger fool of himself than he already is. “Are you okay?”

His limbs flail around for a few seconds before rebalancing themselves.

His heart unfortunately doesn’t get the memo, because it keeps pounding at a thousand miles per hour and shows no sign of stopping.

“Ah – yes! I’m fine!” he practically shouts, before remembering where he is. The middle of a library. A.K.A., somewhere where people are supposed to be quiet. _Nice going_. “Um, that is – I’m good now, yes.”

They stare at him, frowning.

…did he say something wrong? Did he do something wrong? Did he accidentally break something while he was trying to put the book back up and they saw it and think he’s a complete mess which isn’t entirely wrong but still –

“You’re trying to put that back, right?”

They point to the book in his hands. He stares at it.

The book.

To the top shelf.

Yes.

“Ah, yeah, I am.” He laughs, scratching the back of his neck. “That wasn’t working out, was it? I should probably get a chair, or something, or – actually, there’s stools here! And we use them all the time! So, I can – I can look for one of those and it’ll be fine!”

He’s rambling.

What is he even saying anymore? Who knows?

Is he making any sense?

Does anything make sense?

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

And _okay now is not the time for song lyrics brain, please do something useful for once and **when did they get so close why are they right in front of him**_ –

Reaching out, Kai takes the book from his hands, places it snugly between the others on the top shelf, and turns to him.

“That works, right?”

He looks up.

S-A-T.

 _Space Wars_ , sitting alphabetically next to the other science fiction books.

“Ah, yes!” he says, smiling. “That’s where it’s supposed to be!”

Kai nods. “Well, that’s good, then.”

Good. Indeed.

“Yes! Um, it’s good, that you were, uh –” he stutters, feeling his face heat up, and bows. “Thank you very much, Kai-kun!”

“…you know my name?”

…

……

_Shit._

“Ah – yeah, I do! Um, I swear I didn’t try looking for it! And I’m not, I’m not stalking you or anything like that! It’s just – uh!”

Great.

He already sounds like a massive creep.

“You see! Like, how Miwa-kun and Misaki-san work here, right? And, since I know them, and they know you, it just! Like, it worked out! That they told me who you are! I mean, not like, a lot or anything, just like random things during breaks! And stuff…”

They aren’t looking at him anymore.

So, he probably just turned them off him for the rest of his life.

If there was an award for majorly fucking up, this could probably land top ten somewhere. He can be proud of that medal at least. It can hang with all the others, including “crying in the middle of a public bathroom stall” and “being kicked in the stomach by the same person fifteen times while trying to go back home.”

Kai sighs. “Did either of them say anything weird?”

…weird?

Like, weirder than the things he just blabbered?

“Um…not that I remember? Why?”

“…nothing. It’s not important.” They turn around. “If you’re fine now, then that’s okay.”

Hands stuffed in their pockets, Kai starts to walk away.

“Wait!” someone calls out.

They turn around to face him, eyebrow arched in confusion.

…he said that.

Why did he say that.

“Um! Well!” he sputters, hands flailing and face flushed. “I was wondering, um –”

He can’t think, nothing makes sense. He doesn’t want Kai to leave right now, but they have no reason to stay, and he’s probably given off the worst impression but he’s talking to them and he wants to keep talking to them and it would be really nice to just hang out and do something together and –

His dignity is already gone.

He doesn’t have anything left to lose.

_Might as well go for it, right?_

“If – if you have time, I was wondering if we could, just, hang out? Together? Or something like that? Since, you know, our friends all know each other! And, you seem – really cool, and it’d be nice to get to know you, or something – um, if you wanted?”

Silence.

In all of space and time, that was probably the least eloquent way anyone has ever asked someone to become friends.

His shoulders slump by the end, and he stares resolutely at Kai’s shoes, avoiding any possible eye contact.

_Well, at least he can say he tried._

He braces himself for rejection.

“Sure, why not?”

…Kai.

They said.

_Yes?_

His head whips up, mouth open and eyes wide. Kai still doesn’t look at him, but they’re turned toward his direction, feet pointed at his body and head tilted to the left.

He might have imagined it, but for a second, he thinks he sees a trace of red splash across their face.

“Oh, I’m,” he says, face lighting up. “That’s great! Though, I can’t really go anywhere now, since I have to stay here and help out, so. Whenever you’re free, I guess, we can meet up somewhere! Or, if you’re staying here, we can talk for a bit? Whatever you want!”

They finally turn to face him, eyes locking with his, and his brain grinds to a halt.

“I was planning on being here for a while,” they say with a small tone, “so we can hang out for a bit, I suppose.”

He can be with Kai.

He feels like he’s floating.

“Okay, that’s great!” he exclaims, lips widening into a smile he can barely contain. With a jerkish motion, he extends his hand out in greeting. “Ah, just so you know, my name is –”

“Sendou Aichi,” they interrupt, pointing to his chest with a wry look. “It’s on your nametag.”

…right.

“I forgot about that,” he laughs, about to take his hand back and berate himself for the umpteenth time until they reach out and grasp it in theirs.

It’s – warm.

Firm fingers grasp gently around his, and a voice in the back of his mind laughs while waving around a small but growing list.

“I’m Kai Toshiki,” they say with a smirk. “Although, you already know that, too.”

He laughs, and squeezes.

“I do, Kai-kun.”

 

 

 

“So.”

“…”

“I know you’re listening to me, Kai~”

“…what do you want, Miwa.”

A chuckle. “Well, I’ve heard from a certain someone that you’ve finally officially talked to _him_.”

“And?”

“I’m congratulating you! It’s about time you asked him to be friends, huh?”

A page turn. “I didn’t do that.”

“Eh?”

“Aichi was the one who asked, not me.”

“Wait, really?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Well, considering how you are, I was sure you’d just walk up to him and sweep him off his feet.”

“…I’m ignoring you.”

“Hey, at least you have a chance now! Isn’t that what you wanted? You can take him on romantic dinner dates, or go on walks to the beach, or –”

“I’m leaving.”

“– visit his parents and ask for their blessing and – hey wait! Don’t go, I still have other advice to give you!”

**Author's Note:**

> me: stop writing long one-shots, they take too much time and you lose motivation and they're fucking boring  
> me: *shits this out over 6 days at 2 AM*
> 
> I haven't edited this because if I stare at these words any longer I'm gonna delete it all and cry so here you go!!
> 
> Everything in this was unnatural, but I think we can all agree the most unrealistic part was when Aichi went to bed at 10, who goes to sleep that early in this day and age, smh what a scam


End file.
